Michel Kuipers is confident Robert Sanchez will continue improve after the 23-year-old’s impressive start to his Premier League career.
Sanchez kept a third clean sheet in nine Premier League appearances with the goalless draw against Fulham, and Kuipers says he spotted his potential when he arrived from Spain.
“I remember when Robert first came in and joined the youth team,” Kuipers said. “I could see that he was built to be a goalkeeper and he is very agile for his size. He has a strong level of confidence in his ability and I always liked that about him, he always believed in himself.
“I have seen Robert progress and I have been following his career very closely – his loan spells at different clubs.
“It's been great to see him stepping in for the first team and I believe he has done fantastically well. He's still very young but he has really shown maturity in his performances in the games he has played so far.”
That maturity reflects in Sanchez's mindset when he's playing according to Kuipers.
“He's very calm, it's his style. He will get better as he gains more experience and I am very much looking forward to seeing him reach the next level. I think he can play a big part in the team putting a run of positive results together. I have been very impressed with him."
Sanchez has pulled off some top saves to deny the likes Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang of Arsenal and Kevin De Bruyne of Manchester City.
Kuipers expects those stops to only build his confidence.
“Making those big saves will be really important to help him settle into the team. Robert is a big guy, he's very tall. He takes up a lot of the goal and that is a very natural attribute in combination with his ability to close down the angle.
“He can get himself off the line and reach further into the corners. That is really where you can see him making a high percentage of saves. I think the stats will shine in his favour as the season goes on.”